TSA intends to purchase almost 3.5 million rounds of .357 SIG caliber training ammunition, according to a solicitation issued by the agency on August 16.

“Each vendor will be allowed to submit up to two types of ammunition samples, representing two different part numbers,” the RFP explains.

A sample of 4,000 rounds will be tested during the “Proposal Submittal” phase and an additional 4,000 rounds will be subjected to “Post-award First Article Testing.” All of these rounds will be delivered to the National Firearms and Tactical Training Unit in Altoona, PA, says TSA. “The National Firearms and Tactical Training Unit (NFTTU) will conduct all testing; however, NFTTU reserves the right to use an outside laboratory to conduct performance verification if it deems necessary,” says the RFP.

The exact quantity of .357 SIG caliber training rounds sought in the RFP is 3,450,000, which means the TSA could fire off more than 9,400 rounds per day, every day of the year, to consume that entire quantity annually.

However, TSA insists that the manufacturer warrant that the “usable storage life” of the ammunition without degradation is a minimum of three years. “A ‘Use By’ label shall be affixed to each shipping case indicating the three year date,” says the RFP.